Chicago man gets 20 years for attempted murder

CHICAGO — A Cook County judge has sentenced a Chicago man to 20 years in prison for attempted murder by choking and stabbing a flower shop employee.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports (http://bit.ly/1rSp6AI) 26-year-old Alexander Hampton pleaded guilty to the February 2012 crime and was sentenced Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Hampton choked and stabbed a 28-year-old female employee at the Asrai Garden flower shop in Wicker Park. They say he choked her until she passed out and he was standing over her with a knife when she woke up.

The woman was able to break away after she was stabbed in the ribs and neck. She called 911 from the bathroom.